Nazi and Weimar Germany

• When did the Kiel Mutiny happen?

  November 1918
• What did the sailors refuse to do during the Kiel mutiny?

  Attack the Royal Navy
• What did the Kiel Mutiny cause?

  • Nation-wide rebellions
  • The abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II
  • The collapse of the government
• Who became Chancellor after the Kaiser’s abdication?

  Friedrich Ebert
• What part did Friedrich Ebert belong to?

  The Social Democratic Party (SPD)
• When did Germany surrender?

  11th November 1918
• Who signed the Armistice and what were they later called?

  Ebert and members of the SPD part, later referred to as the ‘November Criminals’
• What was the “Dolchstoßlegende”?

  The ’stab-in-the-back’. The belief that the government signed the armistice behind the German army’s back.
• What happened in the January 1919 elections?

  • The SPD party was granted the most power.
  • Ebert became the first democratically-elected president
• Why did the SPD Party meet up in Weimar instead of Berlin in January 1919?


  Berlin was considered too dangerous. The Spartacist Uprising had occurred earlier that month.
• What did the SPD Party do in Weimar 1919?


  They began to draw up the new constitution for Germany.
• Despite many deputies voting against it, the new constitution was approved and signed when?

  August 1919
• The Weimar Republic was set up as what?

  A representative democracy
• What were the strengths of the Weimar Republic?

  • Genuine democracy
  • The power of the Reichstag
  • A Bill of Rights
• What were the two key weaknesses of the Weimar Republic?

  • Proportional representation
  • Article 48
• What was Article 48?


  An article that allowed the President to act without the government’s approval in the event of an emergency. However, there was no clear definition of an ‘emergency’ and this power was overused, weakening the Germans’ belief in democracy.
• Why did many Germans hate the Weimar Republic (1919)?

  For signing the armistice. Thanks to propaganda, the loss of the war came as a great shock to the German people, so they believed that the politicians had betrayed the brave German army.
• What treaty did the Weimar Republic sign, which resulted in many Germans resenting them?

  The Treaty of Versailles (June 1919)
• How was the Weimar Republic pressured into signing the Treaty of Versailles in 1919?

  They were given an ultimatum: sign the treaty within five days, or risk invasion.
• What was the ‘B’ term of the Treaty of Versailles?

  Blame- under article 231, the ‘War Guilt Clause’, Germany had to accept the blame for starting WWI.
• What was the ‘R’ term of the Treaty of Versailles?

  Reparations- Germany had to pay for the damages to France and Britain during the war. In 1922, this amount was set to £6.6 billion.
• What was the ‘A’ term of the Treaty of Versailles?

  Armed forces- the army and navy were significantly reduced, and the air force was abolished entirely.
• How was the army restricted?

  • Only 100,00 troops
  • No tanks
  • No conscription
• How was the navy restricted?

  • Only 15,000 personnel
  • 6 battleships
  • No submarines
• What was the ‘T’ term of the Treaty of Versailles?

  Territory- Germany lost land on all borders and lost its overseas colonies
• Under the ToV, what land was returned to France?

  Alsace-Lorraine
• What land was officially recognised as Belgium?

  Eupen-Malmedy
• France took coal from what region?

  The Saar region
• What zone did the French later occupy?

  The Ruhr (Germany’s industrial zone)
• What happened to the Rhineland and why?

  It was demilitarised to provide France with an extra buffer zone
• What union was forbidden?

  Anschluss- the union of Germany and Austria
• When was the Spartacist Uprising?

  5-12th January 1919
• How many members of the post-WWI communist party were involved?

  50,000
• Who led the Spartacist Uprising?

  Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
• During the Spartacist Uprising (1919), the government armed ex-soldiers known as what?

  The Freikorps
• When were Luxemburg and Liebknecht killed?

  15th January 1919
• When did the Freikorps crush all uprisings by?

  May 1919
• Despite crushing the Spartacist Uprising and saving the government, the Freikorps were disbanded. Why?

  The Freikorps went against the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which significantly reduced the army.
• Who led the Kapp Putsch?

  Dr Wolfgang Kapp, a right-wing nationalist.
• When did the Kapp Putsch happen?

  13-17th March 1920, when Kapp led a Freikorps takeover in Berlin.